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What we know about the future of the proposed BRIO building and The Oshkosh Food Co-op's grocery store

This artist rendering shows the proposed building for the BRIO building where The Oshkosh Food Co-op wants to open a grocery store.(Photo: Courtesy of The Oshkosh Food Co-op)

Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify Merge's involvement in the other two parcels in the Marion Road development area.

OSHKOSH - A $50 million project could bring a grocery store downtown.

The Oshkosh Food Co-op announced its capital campaign last week to raise $1.6 million to for a full-service grocery store on the corner of Jackson Street and Pearl Avenue in the BRIO building planned by Merge Urban Development Group.

The proposed building would bring 53 apartments downtown, but plans are far from finalized.

Here is what we know so far about the BRIO building and co-op's grocery store.

What does a capital campaign look like for a food co-op?

The co-op, which was launched in 2013, is raising funds for a full-service grocery store offering locally-sourced food to the Oshkosh community.

The capital campaign involves raising money for a project, and in this case the Oshkosh co-op is asking members to buy into the full-service grocery store, co-op board president Brenda Haines said.

Other sources of financing are expected to include loans from members, donations from individuals and organizations and grants.

As of Friday, 1,051 people had bought a share of the store. The co-op will continue talking to members about opportunities to help reach the $1.6 million goal, Haines said.

More people have began joining the organization since it announced its plans for the store, she said.

Why the co-op chose the BRIO building for the planned grocery store

The proposed co-op site, which is near downtown and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, is considered a food desert. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines it as an area where a traditional grocery store is more than 1 mile away.

The co-op sent out more than 150 proposals to real estate developers and agents looking for a site before deciding on the BRIO building, Haines said.

The corner of Jackson and Pearl is an easily-accessible spot for drivers, walkers, bikers and bus riders in addition to having enough space for the grocery store, Haines said. Boaters on the river could even access the grocery store, she said.

The co-op would be the only business tenant in the building. It would occupy 8,000 square feet on the first floor, said Joy Hannemann, a partner at Merge.

The development company for BRIO is working with the city

Merge has been working with the city since summer 2018, Hannemann said. The company looked at three different parcels in the Marion Road development area before settling on the site at Jackson Street and Pearl Avenue. The other two were on Jackson Street and Marion Road.

Merge also has plans for the other two lots in the future, Hannemann said.

The building would be a nice addition to development area, said Kelly Nieforth, economic development services manager for the city.

Merge is working on construction plans and other details, and will take its plan to the Oshkosh Plan Commission and Common Council for approval before construction can begin, Nieforth said.

The company hopes to begin construction in May, Hannemann said.

The city's Redevelopment Authority, which owns the land, is in the process of transferring the property to Merge, she said.